July 7–18, 2027 | 12 Days / 11 Nights
Journey into Sweden’s enchanted heartlands during the height of summer, when the day is a lot longer than the night. The sun lingers on the evening horizon, and ancient stories feel close at hand. This small‑group journey explores forested Dalarna, myth‑rich Värmland, and the dramatic Bohuslän coast through folklore, nature, and living cultural traditions. Expect intimate hotels, meaningful encounters, slow travel, and stories shaped by the land sea, and the memory of the people who live here.

🌞 Travel through Sweden during the height of summer, when twilight lingers under the Midnight Sun

🌲 Explore three myth‑rich regions: Dalarna, Värmland, and Bohuslän

🧙‍♀️ Discover Sweden’s folklore traditions—forest spirits, folk magic, sea lore, and ancestral stories

🪵 Stay in more economic, small hotels, manor houses, and wilderness bungalows with strong local character

🗿 Visit UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the Falun Copper Mine and Tanum rock carvings

🌊 Experience both deep forests and dramatic coastal landscapes

📖 Enjoy storytelling, reflection, and cultural context woven throughout the journey

🍽 Savor Swedish cuisine with daily breakfasts, 3 traditional lunches, and 2 upscale group dinners

🚆 Travel slowly and thoughtfully using a mix of coach, train, and local transportation

🧭 Led by an experienced tour leader with a focus on cultural connection and place‑based learning

👥 Small group experience (minimum 8 travelers), allowing for intimacy and flexibility

✨ A journey designed for curious travelers drawn to the power of myth and story, nature, and meaningful travel

This itinerary should be considered a living document and subject to change based on local schedule changes and circumstances beyond our control. Hotels, events and restaurants may have to change, sometimes at the last minute to a similar category, to accommodate for a smaller, or larger group. A flexible schedule is also to be able to meet someone new while we are on our journey, or to engage in an activity we could not have foreseen.

INCLUDED: 

In-country transportation per itinerary (train, coach bus, public transportation as applicable); best available, locally run accommodations; all breakfasts at the hotel(s), welcome dinner and farewell dinner, three lunches; Cross Cultural Journeys tour manager; English-speaking local guides; exchanges with local story tellers, musicians, historians and wilderness guides. All entrance fees on itinerary; Sweden Destination Guide and other preparation materials.

NOT INCLUDED: Airfare from the United States to and from Sweden. Meals not on itinerary; alcoholic drinks; excursions not on the itinerary; entrance fees to sites not on itinerary; tips for local guide and driver (optional, yet customary); travel insurance.

TRAVEL PROTECTION: Cross Cultural Journeys is not responsible for cancellation expenses that you might incur before or during our trip.  You may want to check first to see if your current insurance policy covers travel abroad, but we have found that most do not. We strongly encourage considering taking out travel interruption and evacuation insurance to cover any emergencies abroad such as evacuation, or reimbursement for cancellation due to your own illness or an illness in your family. We encourage you to choose a plan covers travel interruption before you depart, as well as during the trip. CCJ is not responsible for events beyond our control in this regard.  

🛏 Accommodations
11 nights in carefully selected small hotels, manor houses, and bungalows (double or single occupancy)

🍽 Meals

• Daily breakfast at hotels (11 total)

• 1 upscale welcome dinner

• 1 upscale farewell dinner

• 3 traditional Swedish lunches (including smoked mackerel and peel‑and‑eat shrimp; some roadside stops)

🧭 Experiences & Guidance

• Expert tour leader throughout

• Guided cultural, folklore, and nature experiences

• Entrance fees to included sites

🚐 Transportation

• All ground transportation during the tour

• Mix of private coach, train, and local/public transportation

✈ International airfare
🍷 Alcoholic beverages
🛡 Travel insurance
➕ Optional activities
🙏 Gratuities

Arrive in Sweden and travel north into the forested landscapes of Dalarna. Settle into your lakeside hotel and meet your fellow travelers. Begin the journey with an orientation to Swedish folk beliefs and an upscale welcome dinner beneath the soft glow of the late setting sun.

Overnight: Hotell Moskogen – Leksand
🍳 Breakfast (Day 2)
🍽️ Welcome Dinner

Discover Dalarna’s deep folk traditions, including iconic rural crafts and symbolic folklore. Enjoy a walk through meadows and forests once believed to belong to the hidden folk. Evening storytelling and quiet reflection by the lake as daylight lingers late into the night.

Overnight: Hotell Moskogen – Leksand
🍳 Breakfast

Travel to Falun, a historic town once shaped by copper mining and human resilience. Visit the UNESCO‑listed Great Copper Mountain and learn how earth and myth intertwine in Swedish history. Evening walk through Falun’s historic center.

Overnight: First Hotel Grand Falun
🍳 Breakfast

Explore the rural countryside, visiting traditional farms and summer pastures. Enjoy a classic Swedish lunch and learn about seasonal folk practices and protective symbols. The afternoon is free before a farewell dinner celebrating Dalarna’s cultural heritage.

Overnight: First Hotel Grand Falun
🍳 Breakfast
🥗 Traditional Swedish Lunch

Journey west into Värmland, a region of deep forests and living storytelling traditions. Arrive in Sunne and settle in. Evening gathering introduces local folklore, learn from the Finnskogen logger stores, forest spirits, and the power of oral tradition.

Overnight: Selma Spa+ – Sunne
🍳 Breakfast

Spend the day immersed in forest landscapes tied to healing and folk belief. Join a guided walk focused on traditional plants and seasonal rituals. Enjoy a simple countryside or roadside lunch. Optional sauna and lake time in the evening.

Overnight: Selma Spa+ – Sunne
🍳 Breakfast
🥗 Traditional Swedish Lunch

Travel north toward Värmland’s border regions, long considered liminal spaces between worlds. Visit remote lakes and forests associated with legends of crossings and change. Evening at a wilderness lodge surrounded by silence and nature.

Overnight: Hovfjället Bungalows / Wilderness Lodge
🍳 Breakfast

A slow day in nature for reflection, journaling, and unstructured exploration. Group sharing circle focuses on myth, landscape, and personal insight. Farewell dinner to Värmland honoring forest guardians and ancient paths.

Overnight: Hovfjället Bungalows / Wilderness Lodge
🍳 Breakfast

Travel southwest to Sweden’s west coast. Visit the Tanum rock carvings (UNESCO World Heritage), where Bronze Age stories are etched into stone. Evening walk along the granite coastline and sea‑shaped folklore.

Overnight: Tanums Gestgifveri
🍳 Breakfast

Explore fishing villages and the Bohuslän archipelago. Learn coastal folklore shaped by the rocks, the sea and the fishing culture. Enjoy a traditional seafood lunch featuring Swedish smoked makrill or peel‑and‑eat shrimp before time by the sea and long coastal light.

Overnight: Tanums Gestgifveri
🍳 Breakfast
🥗 Traditional Swedish Seafood Lunch

Travel south toward Gothenburg with scenic stops along the coast. Conclude with an upscale farewell dinner celebrating the journey and shared stories.

Overnight: Hotel Bellora or Hotel Pigalle – Gothenburg
🍳 Breakfast
🍽️ Farewell Dinner

We bid Sweden farewell, or extend our journey to Norway or Denmark! (see add-ons below).